Collective Boredom Arrangement

Wherever you lay the blame this summer, the NFL is coming very close to damaging its reputation amongst the fans. Like any major sporting league there will probably be very little consideration for the humble fan in negotiations, but now is the time to make sure we never let them forget about us.

These aren’t your teams Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft and all, these are the fans’ teams. Part of our summer is the off season free agency, seeing the new rookies in the mix, and for UK fans, making our plans for the International Series Game. Many will have registered for tickets already, but we are also in limbo as we know there will be no game if an agreement isn’t reached by August 1. That seemed like an age away when the plans for this year’s game were announced, but it is fast becoming a possibility that they won’t agree.

The 24 hour media is now beginning to confuse with its speculation, and nobody really knows when an agreement or if an agreement is going to be reached. Having deprived its fans of their usual off season enjoyment so far, do the fans then just let the owners and players ride roughshod over them?

We are far too eager to lay down as the NFL juggernaut ploughs its way through. The fans keep the game alive, and make the league the success that it is. The problem is that we love football so, so much, making it hard for us to apply any leverage as fans. But surely there does have to come a time where the fans speak up. “Hey, how about you agree almighty powerful men, because if you don’t, we aint coming, we aint watching and then you will be not so mighty impotent men”.

It will never happen I know. They have all of ours in a sling (mine included), and they are well aware of it. But when I said at the beginning that now is the time to let them know, what I mean is, now is the time to never forget. Don’t forget the contempt for the fans and the arrogance that are both prevalent in these discussions. Don’t forget that the all powerful NFL is ruining our off season enjoyment. And don’t think that we owe these billionaire owners any degree of deference, due to the fact that they could walk away from our beloved franchises at any moment. Always remember, we have theirs in a sling, and sooner or later we may need to let them know it.